Border state mayors call for immigration reform

Some of the mayors closest to the debate surrounding illegal immigration say the time is now for a federal response, and they want Congress to act on reform before the moment slips away.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Saturday expressed optimism that Congress will pass comprehensive immigration reform, praising a number of Republicans for demonstrating openness to the issue.

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“I’m very hopeful,” he told POLITICO. “I’m encouraged that Sen. McCain and Lindsey Graham and the eight senators who have worked in the past on this issue and see comprehensive immigration reform as vital to our economy and restoring our values.”

Villaraigosa spoke to POLITICO after addressing a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, where he called for a comprehensive approach to immigration reform. In an interview after his speech, Villaraigosa also praised Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has outlined his own approach to the subject.

“I think the recent remarks by Sen. Rubio are encouraging, that he sees a pathway to citizenship as core to immigration reform and [is] willing to look at a comprehensive bill as a vehicle for that,” Villaraigosa said.

Villaraigosa, who according to a report in the Wall Street Journal hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a Cabinet post in the White House, outlined his vision for reform, which includes a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the country. He stressed that while legalization must be “earned, it’s not automatic,” it “can’t be unattainable.”

“The time for half-measures and one-sided approaches is over,” he said. “The bottom line in this debate is full citizenship. There can be no second-class citizens in the United States of America. This doesn’t just make moral sense, it makes economic sense.”

A legalization process, he said, would include a criminal background check, proof of English language skills, American civic knowledge and payment of taxes.

To rousing applause, Villaraigosa also railed against deportation policies that split up families, saying that “family unification” should be a pillar of any immigration policy.

“I love when politicians on both sides of the aisle always talk about families,” he said during his speech. “They love to talk about families. And that’s a good thing. If we’re for families, we don’t divide them. We don’t send Mama and Daddy back, leave the kids here…family unification, protecting the sanctity of family, keeping families together, not only keeps capital in the United States, it also maximizes the potential that these immigrants start family-based small businesses and grow our economy.”